Common Antidepressants Contraindicated In Dementia?

People with dementia should no longer be treated with common antidepressants.

People with dementia should no longer be treated with common antidepressants as per a study “Study of mirtazapine for agitated behaviours in dementia (SYMBAD): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial”, at the University Of Plymouth, published in The Lancet.

Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of neurodegenerative disease, characterized by gradual loss of memory and thought process that interferes with daily life.

Blood Test Reveals Warning Signs for Dementia
Warning signs for dementia have been revealed by blood test through levels of certain microRNAs that indicate the cognitive decline and its risks.

‘People with dementia are generally given antidepressants like mirtazapine to treat agitation. However new study reveals that they should no longer be treated with common antidepressants. ’

One of the common symptoms of dementia is agitation, which is characterized by inappropriate verbal, vocal, or motor activity, and often involves physical and verbal aggression.

Agitation in people with dementia is generally treated by non-drug patient-centered care, followed by the use of antidepressants like mirtazapine if the former fails. However, the present study deems it no more effective than a placebo, and rather may even increase mortality and poor outcomes.

Agitation in Dementia

Anxiety and Dementia may be Reversible by Understanding Brain Cells� Talk
Mental health conditions like anxiety and memory ailments such as dementia may be reversible by understanding how our brain cells talk.

The study team recruited 204 people with probable or possible Alzheimer’s disease from 20 sites around the UK, allocating half to mirtazapine and half to placebo. The trial was double-blind; meaning that neither the researcher nor the study participants knew what they were taking.

It was shown that there was no less agitation after 12 weeks in the mirtazapine group than in the control group. Moreover, there were increased number of deaths in the mirtazapine group (seven) by week 16 than in the control group (only one).

New Toolbox for Dementia Patients Developed
A Multilingual Dementia Research and Assessment (MUDRA) Toolbox that includes questionnaires and various cognitive tests to assess different domains of cognition such as attention and executive function has been developed.

“Dementia affects 46 million people worldwide – a figure set to double over the next 20 years. Poor life quality is driven by problems like agitation and we need to find ways to help those affected. This study shows that a common way of managing symptoms is not helpful – and could even be detrimental. It’s really important that these results are taken into account and mirtazapine is no longer used to treat agitation in people with dementia. This study has added important information to the evidence base, and we look forward to investigating further treatments that may help to improve people’s quality of life,” says Lead researcher Professor Sube Banerjee, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Professor in Dementia at the University of Plymouth.

Source-Medindia

Noise Pollution Increases Dementia Risk
Constant exposure to noise pollution is associated with increased dementia risk caused due to Alzheimer's disease while music could have positive impact.